Highlights
Intelligent baggage handling system
- Intelligent baggage sorting system helps turn Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport into a smart airport
- Solving real-world problems on schedule while maintaining normal operations and integrating old and new systems for seamless airport expansion
- Optimal design based on in-depth analysis of all components
- Increased baggage throughput with reduced misdeliveries
Advanced solutions for a diverse range of industries
CTCI Advanced Systems Inc. (CTCI ASI) is an affiliate of CTCI, an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) services provider operating in markets all over the world. CTCI ASI— a leading provider of solutions in the hydrocarbon, power generation, general industry, rail transportation, aerospace and high-tech industries — aims to become a supplier of smart solutions in Taiwan. It combines decades of experience in process control and design with Industry 4.0 trends and even artificial intelligence to create smart manufacturing solutions, and also has numerous achievements in the petrochemical, specialized industry and smart energy management systems fields. At the same time, the company is involved in smart transportation projects, providing systems integration and advanced solutions in the airport, mass rapid transit, and high-speed rail fields.
Intelligent baggage sorting system turns Taoyuan airport into a smart airport
In the vast sea of suitcases at the airport, amid passengers rushing to and fro, having to wait an excessively long time as you gaze at a conveyor belt in search of your luggage so you can finish your journey is not only bothersome, but it also reflects poorly on the airport, particularly if it is a nation’s international gateway.
Over the past several years, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport has seen the volume of passengers it handles grow annually. Its original baggage handling system was unable to keep up with the growth in passengers, so the airport sought out solutions to improve efficiency.
CTCI ASI was contracted by the facility’s operator, Taoyuan International Airport Corp. (TIAC), to convert Terminal 2’s original linear baggage carousels, which can each serve only one flight at a time, into multilevel carousels that can each serve two to three flights simultaneously, increasing luggage traffic. The upgraded baggage carousels can handle 8,000 pieces of luggage per day, a 45 percent increase from the 5,500 pieces daily of the original conveyor belts.
The principal work items for this project included upgrading the baggage sorting system and constructing 16 baggage carousels, as well as updating the north wing’s baggage handling system’s (BHS) main computer system, storage array, workstations, software and the control room’s programmable logic controller.
Optimal design based on in-depth analysis of all components
Before designing the new baggage sorting solution, CTCI ASI’s engineers used their simulation tools to perform a detailed analysis of the existing carousels’ baggage flow, including during rush hours, and a breakdown by destination. At the same time, they also analyzed and optimized baggage sorting time and information about the conveyor belts, such as their location and site conditions.
Armed with this information, CTCI ASI’s team was able to design an optimal configuration; improve the central and on-site control systems for the primary automated baggage sorting system; update and improve the luggage transport network; and install new sorting controllers and conveyor belts.
Solving real-world problems on schedule while maintaining normal operations and integrating old and new systems for seamless airport expansion
As TIAC could not afford to halt the airport’s operations while the improvement work was being carried out, a significant portion of the construction and integration testing — to verify the interoperability of various subsystems and standalone equipment — had to be carried out at night.
CTCI ASI Marketing & Sales Division Vice President Chase Liu said that this was a massive challenge for the project team, which had to develop standard operating procedures to set up and restart both old and new systems.
There were also additional requirements imposed by TIAC, airlines and ground handling companies, such as the airport remaining open during the Lunar New Year holiday, noise and dust from construction work needed to be kept to a minimum and baggage handling operations could not be disrupted, etc., he said.
Thanks to the project team’s persistence in coordinating between all interested parties and its relentless search for alternative solutions, the project was completed on schedule, he added.
Familiar with international aviation regulations — preparing to market BHS Lite in India, Thailand, and Singapore
Due to its familiarity with the standards and regulations of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), CTCI ASI has been contracted to work on several projects at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Liu said.
These projects — including a flight noise monitoring system; improvement of the automatic baggage sorting system; implementation and updates to the BHS computer monitoring system; a baggage handling reconfirmation system; a passenger self check-in system; an advanced visual docking guidance
system; assisting in navigational lighting design and construction; and control tower automation engineering — have demonstrated CTCI ASI’s reliable quality and helped uphold the world-class standards of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, making it the benchmark for smart airports, he said.
While these solutions have not been deployed elsewhere, CTCI ASI hopes that the engineering experience it has gained in Taiwan will help CTCI ASI to promote BHS Lite to small and medium-sized airports — serving up to 10 million passengers annually — in countries such as India, Thailand and Singapore, he added.
CTCI Advanced Systems Inc.
Smart Transportation
Intelligent baggage handling system
Selling points:
- A 45 percent increase in baggage capacity from 5,500 items per day to 8,000
- Prevents luggage from going missing due to excessive baggage
- Improved transportation, sorting and loading of baggage, ensuring safety in all facets of airport operations
